Ephraim Willard inlaid mahogany case tall clock, Boston, Massachusetts. EEE-12.
This fine inlaid mahogany exhibits excellent proportions. The case is made of good-quality mahogany with fine graining. A modern shellac finish enhances the natural lighter tones of this exotic wood. The case stands on four ogee bracket feet at the bottom of the double-step base molding. The base features a fine mahogany central panel with a grain pattern resembling a swift current running through a narrow chute. The outer edges have a ripple appearance rather than the straight grain of the center. This panel is framed with a line inlay, with quarter fans positioned in the corners. The six-bladed quarter fans are shaded on the upper side, creating an illusion of depth. The panel's perimeter is cross-banded with mahogany framing. The waist section is long and narrow, accentuating the form. Centered here is a tombstone-shaped waist door fitted with applied molding, a cross-banded border, a thin-line inlay pattern, a fine figured center panel, and a door lock with a brass escutcheon. The drive weights and pendulum occupy the space behind the door. The front corners have fluted quarter columns stopped with brass and finished with brass quarter capitals and bases. Above the waist is the hood, featuring a traditional pierced and open fretwork pattern topped by three brass ball-and-spike finials. The glazed arch bonnet door is lined with inlay. Two smoothly turned brass stop-fluted bonnet columns stand on either side of the bonnet door. They are free-standing, mounted into brass capitals, and create the illusion of supporting the upper bonnet molding. Tombstone-shaped sidelights with glass panels are fitted into the sides of the bonnet, providing a view of the mechanism.
This painted iron dial features a moon phase mechanism or lunar calendar in its arch. The lunar calendar is a mechanical almanac, likely made on special order due to the extra work involved. This display was valuable to many occupations during the colonial era. For example, farmers tracked the moon phase to anticipate nights with the most moonlight, which helped schedule tilling and harvesting. Sailors and merchants followed lunar phases to know when high tide would allow ships to sail easily or when fishing was best. Numerous religious groups had rituals best performed by lunar events. The lunar month lasts 29 days, 12 hours, 44 minutes, and 2.8 seconds. A tall clock's lunar calendar is set to 29.5 days, representing a complete cycle. As a result, a 9-hour setback is required at the end of each year to keep the lunar display current. The four spandrel areas are decorated with birds. Interestingly, this decoration is not framed with gilt borders like traditional imported English dials of the period. The time track has Arabic five-minute markers separated from the Roman-style hours by a dotted minute ring. The seconds display and calendar dates are positioned in the traditional locations. The clockmaker's name is signed across the center, "E. WILLARD." Nicely shaped steel hands complete the dial’s functional elegance.
Behind the dial is the brass eight-day time-and-strike movement, a testament to fine craftsmanship. It strikes each hour on a cast-iron bell mounted above the movement. This clock is weight-powered and wound with a key.
This fine clock was made while Ephraim lived in Boston before moving to New York, dating back to about 1795.
The case stands approximately 7 feet 11.5 inches tall to the top of the finial. It is approximately 19.5 inches wide and 9 inches deep.
Inventory number EEE-12.
Ephraim Willard was born in Grafton, Massachusetts, on March 18, 1755, during a period of significant change in colonial America. His parents, Benjamin Willard and Sarah (Brooks) Willard, had 12 children; four of them became clockmakers, reflecting the era’s growing demand for skilled artisans in the colonies. Little is known about Ephraim’s early life in Grafton, but he likely learned clockmaking from his older brothers, Benjamin (1743–1803) and Simon (1753–1848), at a time when the craft was central to local economies and technological advancement. Simon Willard would become America’s most prominent clockmaker, shaping the emerging identity of American craftsmanship. Ephraim also practiced clockmaking, probably working closely with Simon and their younger brother, Aaron (1757–1844), as the family contributed to New England’s reputation for fine timepieces.
Ephraim’s life intersected with major events in early American history. According to the History of the town of Sutton, Massachusetts, from 1704 to 1876, including Grafton until 1735; Millbury until 1813; and parts of Northbridge, Upton, and Auburn, Simon was hired by Joseph Rockwell to build a machine for cutting and shaping the teeth of a carding machine, an example of how New England artisans adapted to the early stirrings of the Industrial Revolution. Records also show that Ephraim marched with his brothers in response to the Lexington Alarm on April 19, 1775, serving during the opening days of the American Revolution. This direct involvement in the war highlights the Willard family’s commitment to the colonial cause.
In 1777, Ephraim moved to Medford, Massachusetts, where he was listed as a clock and watchmaker. By 1784, a lawsuit identified him as a trader living in Boston, reflecting the mobility and economic challenges many artisans faced following the Revolution. From 1795 to 1801, Roxbury tax records list him as a resident of Roxbury. In 1801, he bought land and a house on Sheaf’s Lane in Boston; the deed described him as a "Merchant." Over the next two years, he faced financial difficulties and was described as a clockmaker. In 1804, Boston tax records list him as a clockmaker on Elliot Street. In 1805, Ephraim moved to New York City, where he was occasionally recorded as a watchmaker until 1832. Like his brother Benjamin, Ephraim moved frequently, a testament to the shifting landscape of post-Revolutionary America and the challenges of maintaining a trade. He produced far fewer clocks than his three brothers, and only a small number of tall clocks bearing his signature are known to exist. Notably, the cases for his clocks range from simple and understated to examples considered among the finest made by Boston-area cabinetmakers, reflecting both the evolving tastes of the period and the influence of a changing nation.
